Predator Ridge Resort: RANGE Restaurant + Bar in Vernon
This summer, we paid another visit to Sparkling Hills Resort in Vernon because I had some relatives that flew to Canada to attend my wedding and we wanted to take them on a relaxing weekend.
Recommended: Read about my first experience at Sparkling Hills Resort – a European-inspired spa in Vernon. We celebrated my mom’s 60th birthday here.
If you’ve read about my first experience at Sparkling Hill, you’ll know the biggest con of visiting Sparkling Hills is that I find all the food options in the resort to be sub-par π. I think the restaurant inside the resort, PeakFine, is just ok for the complimentary breakfast, but dinner was bad. I also find the Austrian/German restaurant, Gerni Farmhouse, to be below average (but better than PeakFine).
So this time, I was determined to find a better food option for my family and we decided to have one of our dinners at the RANGE Restaurant inside Predator Ridge Resort, which is just a few minute drive from Sparkling Hills (lower on the mountain). Here is how it went!
RANGE restaurant, bar + patio
301 Village Centre Pl, Vernon, BC V1H 1T2
The vibe
So Predator Ridge is actually a gold club/resort right below Sparkling Hills. If you are driving, you will actually pass by Predator Ridge before you get to Sparkling Hill at the top. I saw that they have a restaurant and offered free shuttle to and from Sparkling Hill so I made a reservation for 8 people.
The shuttle was actually kind of inconvenient to book π. They only take same day bookings so you call earlier in the day to arrange a time to pick you up from Sparkling Hill. However, the time for pick-up passed and no vehicle was in sight so I had to call them again π. When the shuttle arrived, we realized it cannot fit all 8 of us (even though on the phone I had told them it’s for 8 people), and the driver told us to squish in, which usually I wouldn’t mind but I am with like 6 of my older relatives and they thought it was sketchy and unsafe π« .
Anyways, we finally got to the restaurant and it was actually very beautiful inside – white open and airy, kind of a Malibu Beach House feeling. Our table for 8 was in a spacious circular table with a nice view of the golf course. Chairs were comfortable and plush and tables were kind of spaced out so you weren’t seated right next to another table.
Food and drinks review
Here is everything we ordered and shared with 8 people. My relatives are used to sharing dishes (Chinese/asian style), but this place is definitely more of an order-your-own-main-dish type of place.
Prices are in CAD and rounded to the nearest dollar for simplicity.
Okanagan sour ($17)
My family doesn’t really drink but I do so I ordered an Okanagan sour cocktail (2oz). It contains Tanqueray gin, fruit syrup, lemon, egg white and rosΓ©. It was a pretty decent cocktail and a pretty normal price – pretty presentation also.
Chicken wings ($20) + Jerk shrimp ($26)
The first 2 appetizers we ordered were the chicken wings and the jerk shrimp. For the chicken wings, you can choose what flavour and we opted for Asian BBQ because my relatives miss Asian food π . It had a sweet & spicy glaze and was quite good! Everyone liked it and we each had 1 piece.
The jerk shrimp was interesting – the shrimp was on the smaller side but tossed with toasted coconut for a sweeter taste. There is also some lime juice for a splash of sourness and it was served with naan bread. I think for $26, I was expecting it to be a larger portion and I found the naan bread to be a little strange to eat with the shrimp since it was very soft and didn’t hold the shrimp well.
Burrata ($26)
My partner and I like burrata and we thought $26 for burrata is not bad so we ordered it even though we knew my relatives wouldn’t like this dish very much. The burrata is on the smaller side but still reasonable for $26 and it was served with apricot and cherry cola chutney, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and crostinis.
This dish was not bad but definitely more on the sweet side due to the chutney. I wish it was served with tomatoes instead!
Loaded nachos ($24)
This nacho appetizer was actually my relatives’ favourite starter. It was a huge plate of crispy tortilla chips, extra cheese, jalapeΓ±os, tomato, green onion, sour cream, and salsa. We did not add any meats/proteins to it but it was huge!
The flavour was pretty good – the tortilla was still crunchy and it was cheesy without being too much.
Rigatoni ortaggio ($26)
For our first main to share, we got a rigatoni pasta. It featured ground tempeh, smoked tomato sauce, wild mushrooms, lemon padano gremalota and a red wine gastrique.
Honestly, I wasn’t very impressed by this pasta dish and I felt it was much too small for the price.
Lamb burger ($26)
We ordered this lamb burger because 1 person wanted to eat some lamb but the rest of us didn’t want to (including me), so this burger was mostly untouched. But in case you are wondering, the burger features a spiced lamb patty, crispy salami, provolone, shredded iceberg lettuce, pickle, basil aioli and tomato mostarda.
Pork tenderloin ($44)
My uncle wanted the pork tenderloin so we ordered it, but I was pretty surprised to see it cut up in this way (btw he ate a piece of it before I could take a photo).
The pork meat was juicy so that was good and it had a saucy Hawaiian BBQ glaze on top so it had a really strong BBQ flavour to it. I just don’t think it is sophisticated enough to justify the $44 price tag. For sides, we chose mashed potato and a side salad. In general, my relatives found the mashed potato to be a tad on the salty side, but I felt it was fine.
Ribeye 1lb ($79)
Lastly, we order 2 ribeye steaks (1 lb each) to share and it came with 4 sides so we chose mashed potato, french fries, and 2 salads.
The two ribeye steaks were the star of the night π€€. Everyone – even my picky mom – liked the steak! It was cooked medium-rare and done right, and also sliced so it is easy to share. Fries were also good although the 2 side salads were just ok (very herby).
Final thoughts
Loewe’s rating: βοΈβοΈβοΈ
We had a pretty good dinner at Predator Ridge RANGE restaurant and bar. I’m not sure if you know how hard it is to choose and order for 6 Chinese relatives who don’t really like anything except Chinese food.
Out of our immediate options in the vicinity, I do think RANGE Restaurant had the best food if you are staying in Sparkling Hills, although some of the dishes we ordered were misses. I rate it between 3-4 stars.
Things I would not order again would include the jerk shrimp, pork tenderloin, rigatoni and lamb burger (but to be fair, I simply don’t like lamb). I would order the nachos and the ribeye again, and I think if you have time in advance to reserve the tomahawk, it would be delicious. In fact, I think anything from the steak menu would be the best choice.
Ambiance and service was good, just wasn’t a fan of our shuttle experience like I mentioned.
Sincerely, Loewe